What different family forms exist in modern Britain?
The diversity of family forms, including nuclear, extended, reconstituted, lone-parent, same-sex and single-person households, and the reasons for increasing family diversity.
A focused answer to the AQA GCSE Sociology families topic, covering the main family forms (nuclear, extended, reconstituted, lone-parent, same-sex) and the reasons for growing family diversity in Britain.
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What this dot point is asking
AQA wants you to know the main types of family found in Britain and to explain why family diversity has grown, moving away from the idea that the nuclear family is the only normal family. You should be able to define each form and link reasons to the rise in diversity.
The main family forms
It helps to keep the definitions sharp because exam definition items often test them directly. The contrast students most often confuse is between the extended family (extra generations or wider kin) and the reconstituted family (a step family blended after a previous relationship). They are entirely different ideas.
The Rapoports on diversity
Rhona and Robert Rapoport argued that the family in Britain has become diverse in several distinct ways. They identified types such as organisational diversity (how roles and the division of labour differ between families), cultural diversity (differences between ethnic and religious groups in how families are structured), life-course diversity (the same family changing form over time, for example from couple to family to empty nest) and social-class diversity. Their point is that there is no single "normal" family; British family life is varied and changing.
Reasons for increasing diversity
- More divorce. Easier, cheaper divorce since the 1969 Divorce Reform Act creates more lone-parent and reconstituted families.
- Secularisation. As religion's influence declines, there is less pressure to marry or to stay married, opening up alternative family forms.
- Changing attitudes. Cohabitation, lone parenthood and same-sex relationships are far more socially accepted than in the past, so people feel free to live in diverse ways.
- Same-sex marriage. Legalised in England and Wales in 2014, allowing same-sex families to form openly.
- Women's independence. More women in paid work can support themselves outside a traditional marriage, making lone-parent and single-person households more viable.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20184 marksIdentify and explain one reason why family diversity has increased in Britain.Show worked answer →
A four-mark Paper 1 item: choose one clear reason and develop it.
One reason is the rise in divorce. Changes in the law, such as the 1969 Divorce Reform Act, made divorce easier and cheaper, and it became less stigmatised. As more marriages end, more lone-parent and reconstituted (step) families are created.
Develop the point: divorced people may remarry, blending two families into a reconstituted household, so a single legal change produces a wider variety of family forms. Markers reward a named reason, a clear explanation and a link to a specific family form.
AQA 20224 marksIdentify and explain one way family diversity in Britain has changed in recent decades.Show worked answer →
A four-mark item: identify a change and develop it.
One change is the growth of same-sex families. The legalisation of same-sex marriage in England and Wales in 2014, alongside more accepting attitudes, has allowed same-sex couples to form families openly.
Develop the point: this adds to the range of family forms beyond the traditional nuclear family, supporting the Rapoports' point that the family has become diverse. Markers reward a clear change, an explanation of the reason for it and a link to growing diversity.
Related dot points
- The functions of families, including Murdock's four functions and Parsons' two basic and irreducible functions, and the functionalist view of the family as a positive institution.
A focused answer to the AQA GCSE Sociology families topic, covering the functions of families through Murdock's four functions and Parsons' two basic and irreducible functions, with the functionalist view of the family.
- Conjugal roles and the division of domestic labour, including segregated and joint roles, the symmetrical family, the dual burden, and decision-making and power within couples.
A focused answer to the AQA GCSE Sociology families topic, covering conjugal roles, the symmetrical family thesis of Willmott and Young, Oakley's critique, the dual burden and power within couples.
- Changing family patterns, including trends in marriage, cohabitation, divorce, childbearing and the ageing population, and the reasons behind them.
A focused answer to the AQA GCSE Sociology families topic, covering changing patterns of marriage, divorce, cohabitation and childbearing in Britain, and the social and legal reasons behind them.
- Criticisms of the family, including the Marxist and feminist views, the dark side of family life, and the conflict perspective on family roles and inequality.
A focused answer to the AQA GCSE Sociology families topic, covering Marxist and feminist criticisms of the family, the dark side of family life, and conflict views on inequality within families.
- The feminist and interactionist perspectives, including the types of feminism, patriarchy, the work of Oakley, the interactionist focus on meanings and labelling, and the work of Becker.
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Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Sociology (8192) specification — AQA (2017)